While the number of murders in 2025 has continued a multi-year decline across Los Angeles, the number of killings remained nearly unchanged this year around the Vermont Knolls area and surrounding communities, where 5 people were shot at a strip mall Tuesday, records and crime data show.
As of mid-August, the LAPD had reported 54 fewer homicides citywide as compared with this time last year, but there was only one less murder in the department’s 77th Division this year compared to last, and there was no change in the number of murders between 2023 and 2024 during the same time period.
The data from the 77th Division, which patrols the area where the shooting happened, showed a significant decline in the number of non-fatal violent assaults this year, including shootings where victims survived, reporting a 22% reduction in the last month and a 23% reduction compared with last year…